Morse Code.

Puster Bill 1053/4/ 5 57
UXKN ZULU PUDJ IJNW AEJE QKVN GBTB TXDY BQRZ MEEK
QUSP SJVF MBYJ NBHZ BKBM FTDB FOJY ZZZJ LLFI CCNA
KADQ PTNB XTDH OFYK BMWG CNOQ MDDK HZGI POSZ VHCD
STYC VIAY LUFO RDFB XVLE GPNK ABPL KKZR HFHQ PJGS
JODJ VZFB TLMX KBHJ OVFF QVMN OIFM UVIK RKRV AHGT
YOXJ TUZW DBQU QDQI SXXX UXKN ZULU

Originally Posted by Puster Bill

Bite your tongue.

Morse is *THE* most perfect form of communication. It is media independent: You can send it via audio, by keying an RF carrier on and off, or a light, or you can even wiggle your arse in Morse. You can't do that with teletype, or even voice.

It's also a damned fine way to communicate if you are ever paralyzed. If you have *ANY* voluntary muscle control at all, you can use it to send Morse, even if it's by blinking an eye, wiggling a toe, or even modulating your breath.

Not only that, but it's a universal language also. I can and have had conversations with people who didn't speak English because Morse Q signals and prosigns are the same in every language.

In short, Morse rocks

And I'm not just saying that because I'm brain damaged from my time as a ditty bopper.

Agreed morse code rocks, but still why navy used the flagmans for signals when they could transmit anything by morse ?

[Puster Bill]

Originally Posted by Contact

Agreed morse code rocks, but still why navy used the flagmans for signals when they could transmit anything by morse ?

Flag signals were invented *BEFORE* Morse, and military organizations tend to conservative and cling to things that have worked well in the past. Though I would point out that the use of Morse via Aldis lamp pretty much supplanted semaphore in the navies of the World from the late 19th Century onwards.

Morse via lamp has disadvantages, also. First, it's directional, where conventional signal flags aren't (semaphore is semi-directional). There can be times when lighting conditions favor one over the other. And, in the final analysis, flag signals and semaphore work even if there is no power on a ship, something to consider when the possibility of battle damage is very real.

Now, you *CAN* send Morse via flag, but like I said military organizations tend to be traditional and keep what works, and conventional flag signals and semaphore work well enough.

[Puster Bill]

Contact 1445/4/6 48
DNES WJST RLIA UUYO NCEP NUFT GUUV ZQJU TDQB VTLN
VFKI POUT ORUI QXUS ZTGA NFAT TIKY LHSQ ZRQR WHAU
DXKJ ITRK OALN PHWT QQQW LPSX AXTX UVYU AQQH YOJR
XOBX MISZ SSYQ MISZ EBLC YWLS VYLR VCVF SDIC FULN
HPTA MPGR FDHE SWGT LHTU QYCV DNES WJST

[Puster Bill]

A link to some Morse training software programs (some free, others not) for those interested:

http://ac6v.com/morseprograms.htm#CWT

And an excellent primer on Morse and how and why you should learn it:

http://www.qsl.net/n9bor/images/The%...ion%204-02.pdf

Though I do have *ONE* small problem with it: The advice about advancing on to hearing "words" instead of individual letters is correct for receiving plaintext, but useless for receiving enciphered messages for the obvious reasons. It's perfectly fine for ham radio usage, however.

Puster Bill 1830/4/ 6 42

MEYT INEX OYYH VTND ORMY VVVQ XUXR IJCL RFWX PEZG
RAIL YCSW XNLD NUXG NCPH NMPO ZAVX DTYT ASSI WFZS
RTXR VKAG VFHK EZNE XPUX HPCX WPNM CRVY WTRQ DJPL
ROWP PALR LFUJ DUIT YUMC QSOJ FHYU LMGG EMHU PAJX
MEYT INEX

[Puster Bill]

Contact 1711/4/7 31
XHUO LNZT VALT GTUF QSXK JUXZ GMBV FVMC IDOX EYSZ
RNSN CXPX GNOP JNHQ WPMH RXPS WWCW ECAU FSWZ QXGR
SRYJ XCZR LCGX FBSK NSUJ WJTY QHWK UYCV UHDV XHUO
LNZT

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by Puster Bill

Bite your tongue.

Morse is *THE* most perfect form of communication...In short, Morse rocks

And I'm not just saying that because I'm brain damaged from my time as a ditty bopper.

Couldn't agree more. I'm just lazy.

[RoaldLarsen]

Originally Posted by Contact

Agreed morse code rocks, but still why navy used the flagmans for signals when they could transmit anything by morse ?

Here are a few other advantages of signal flags over Morse not already mentioned by others:

Ease of use: Signal flags are easier to learn (at least for some people) or to be understood by the untrained with the help of a reference.

Signal flags can be used to transmit an ongoing state: I am attacking a submarine; I have a plague on board.

The non-directional nature of the flags, compared to lamp, means that it is easier to send a message simultaneously to multiple recipients. (Like from a flagshp to all ships in a flotilla or convoy.)

Signal security: compared to Morse R/F transmission, and in some conditions signal lamp, flag signals are less likely to be interecepted by the enemy. An intercepted message may be decoded. The mere act of making a R/F transmission gives away your existence, and possibly your position.

[Puster Bill]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

Couldn't agree more. I'm just lazy.

Dude, I'm lazier: I've copied Morse in my sleep.

[Puster Bill]

Originally Posted by Puster Bill

Dude, I'm lazier: I've copied Morse in my sleep.

I will say this, though: I had a pretty good incentive to learn Morse when I went to Fort Devens: If I didn't learn it fast enough, the Army would get to pick what school I went to. I could have ended up in the Infantry, or shoveling out the kennels for the K-9 units or something.

Puster Bill 1636/7/ 7 14

RGLE HXKE ENDX RYIB OJZY CNBH ONAW AKHI YTEK QLKB
CNJX UMNT RGLE HXKE

[Puster Bill]

Not too bad.

That's essentially how I learned it, by the way, except that they started us out at 6 words per minute instead of 5.

You learned all the characters at 6 wpm, and the computer kept track of how well you were doing. When you got up to a certain level of competence, it would bump you up to the next highest speed.

If you were having trouble (many people hit a 'plateau' between 10 and 15 WPM), often the instructor would have you copy at a higher speed for a while, then bring you back down because the code sounds slower that way.

Just remember to relax and copy behind the code.

Yeah I already noticed, that tension ain't bringing me luck. I have to relax for quicker reaction in realizing the codes and entering them by keyboard.
Anyway most of the time it feels like brain stretching thing

[Puster Bill]

Don't burn yourself out on it, either. Do maybe 15 or 20 minutes, then walk away for a while. I didn't have that option, although they did give us relatively frequent breaks while we were learning.

Pretty soon you'll get the hang of it. Once you get all or most of the code under your belt, start listening on the ham radio bands for some Morse. Some of us send slow enough that you'll be able to copy. It's fun, and who knows, maybe you can get your license* and we can set up a scheduled contact (though we can't pass encrypted traffic).

*You don't need to know Morse to get a ham radio license in most countries these days, don't know the regulations where you are.